Japanese brand's boxy small car often had a hard life.

2010-15 Toyota Rukus used car review

Japanese brand's boxy small car often had a hard life.

2010-15 Toyota Rukus used car review

29 Sep 2017David Morley

Sometimes, practicality endows its own beauty. But that’s probably not the case with the Toyota Rukus, sold here from 2010 to 2015.

Not that the Toyota isn’t practical: with a fold-flat rear seat, flat load floor and upright, boxy proportions, the Rukus makes use of every last square-centimetre of interior space. But pretty it is not.

However, drawing on that theme of practicality Toyota fitted the Rukus with the pretty much unburstable 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine from the Camry of the day, so even if it isn’t exciting to look at, at least it will get you home.

The only catch with the Camry engine is that Toyota didn’t fit the Rukus with the automatic transmission from the same donor car. You do get two-pedal operation, but in a Rukus there are just four forward ratios in that gearbox. That can make the thing feel a little frenetic at highway speeds or in hilly country with a full load on board as the transmission struggles to make up its mind what gear it wants to be in.

That said the engine itself is pretty flexible, so it’s not horrible.

While the engine was from a Camry, the actual platform was borrowed from the Toyota Corolla and that’s why there’s no turbo diesel option because that platform was never engineered for it. Of course, the Rukus was never really about a fun drive on a sunny Sunday morning; it was all about practicality. And it does make a pretty good fist of that.

The cubic dimensions are their own reward in this regard and the upright seating position and relatively high ride height give a great view out. The squared-off roofline means there’s plenty of headroom in any of the five seats and those five chairs will each accommodate a grown adult in reasonable comfort. But if you don’t like a challenging interior, then the Rukus might be a quirk too far.

The central instruments take some getting used to, for instance, and while the Rukus has most of the convenience items you want, there are no air-conditioning vents in the rear and the centre console lacks a lid. But you do get keyless entry, trip computer and a USB-compatible stereo.

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Safety was covered, too, with six airbags, stability control and the usual braking-assist systems including brake-force distribution and brake-assist.

And being a Toyota, you can pretty much guarantee that nothing is going to fall off, fail or start leaking.

The one potential exception to that was a batch of Rukus engines that could mysteriously begin to burn oil, usually around the 100,000 to 120,000km mark. Apparently, the problem only affected a few cars and was eventually tracked down to a piston-ring design that was quickly changed as the dramas went away. We’d still be giving any Rukus a close check, though, including a compression test of the engine to make sure all is well.

To be fair, most of these vehicles affected by this problem should have been identified and fixed by now, and a Toyota dealer will know if a particular car has been fitted with a new set of pistons and piston-rings (which was the usual fix).

Probably the biggest pre-purchase check on a Rukus is to find out who owned it before you. The sheer usefulness of the car saw plenty of them pressed into service as delivery vans and general runabouts for businesses all over the place. So check the odometer to see if it’s showing more than the average number of kilometres travelled and work backwards from there.

A scuffed or scruffy interior could suggest hard use by a previous owner and a Rukus with pristine rear seats could similarly suggest that those seats have been folded forward the whole of the car’s life and never sat in. In which case, you could be looking at another vehicle with a delivery-van previous life. And even if you know for sure that the car was previously privately owned, it’s fair to say that kids, dogs, prams and mountain bikes can all take their own particular toll on a plastic interior like this one.

Kerbed wheels and scratched lower panels also point to a hard, urban life and the rather jutting nose was also a bit of a chance to be smacked into hard objects in the normal course of things.

Meanwhile, the inspection of any used Rukus should start with the basics.

The engine should start easily and idle smoothly immediately, and any check-engine light illuminated on the dashboard should be dealt with before money changes hands. Often, it will be a case of a dud oxygen sensor, but either way, it’s a potential emissions issue and needs to be fixed.

Have a close look at the brand and quality of any replacement tyres, too; many fleets and first-time car-owners don’t appreciate the value of good tyres versus the cheapest set available on the day at the local discount tyre shop. The wrong size or quality of replacement tyres can quickly ruin the car’s ride and grip characteristics.

The Rukus was recalled in Australia to check the fuel system for potential leaks. Apparently, a small crack could occur in a plate at the top of the fuel tank and then grow, leading to a fuel leak when the tank was full.

The Rukus was also caught up in the Takata airbag recall palaver, in which some airbags became contaminated with moisture, leading to improper deployment in a crash. A Toyota dealer will be able to identify affected cars.

Nuts and bolts

Engine/s: 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol

Transmissions: Four-speed automatic

Fuel economy (combined): 8.8L/100km

Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 5 stars

Likes:

Looks different if different is your thing.

Very useable back seat.

Practical as they come.

Promise of Toyota reliability.

Dislikes:

It’s not exactly pretty, is it?

Central gauge cluster in dashboard can be distracting.

Many have been used and abused.

Automatic transmission is off the pace.

Competitors:

Kia Soul – Choice of petrol or diesel drivelines broadened appeal. Not as big inside as Rukus but just as distinctive to look at. Turbo-diesel would be our pick. 3/5

Nissan Cube – All Cubes running around in Australia are grey (or parallel) imports. But there are enough of them that you can get parts and service. Probably the best looking of its ilk. 3.5/5

Skoda Yeti – Good quality and an entertaining drive as well as offbeat looks. Be careful with double-clutch transmission versions and don’t be surprised if servicing is pricey. 3/5

Drive Ratings

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Comments4

James — 02 Oct 2017 04:02

Apparently, the problem [oil consumption] only affected a few cars and was eventually tracked down to a piston-ring design that was quickly changed as the dramas went away. Are you sure about that, David? Because the service bulletin identified 2010-15 model year Rukus vehicles as being affected. See http://australiancar.reviews/reviews.php#!content=recalls&make=Toyota&model=Rukus&gen=918.